Score, Pixel and Helaine have been joined by Jenna, a young healer from
Helaine's home world of Ordin. This present certain difficulties, since
Helaine is from the noble class and Jenna is most definitely of the peasant
class. Neither one is comfortable in the presence of the other. In fact,
they are so uncomfortable that Score (from Earth) and Pixel (from Colimir)
have agreed to seek help from an adult regarding the intricacies of female
relationships.

Shanara, the adult they consult, and Oracle, a non-living projection who
always seems to be the bearer of bad news, both agree that the youngsters
need to do something after six months of living in relatively close
quarters. Shanara thinks they need a vacation and Oracle thinks they need
to get out and flex their muscles, physically and magically.

The world of Brine is one of oceans with no large land masses (hence, the
title of this book). Its inhabitants are peaceful, mostly. And, they are
not afraid of magic-users as are so many people of the worlds of the Diadem
(see my reviews of the previous seven books in this series for more on
that).

There are stories within stories, and secrets within secrets here. Shanara
are the best friends of the four teens. But what is their motivation? Can
they be trusted, and if so, how far?

The four teens are slowly becoming friends, even if the girls still have to
work out their difficulties. Neither one is completely sure about the
other, but they slowly come to realize that they do have some things in
common and agree to work from there.

This story was, in my opinion, rather weaker than the others in the series.
The youngsters encountered fewer magical problems (although that may be
because they are maturing and learning to think their way out of
difficulties). And, the resolutions seemed to come too easily. Quite
frankly, I was a bit disappointed with this book. Still, any author can
have an "off" book. I look forward to reading the ninth book in the series
Book of Reality.

As I said in my review of the first book in this series, this series isn't
about Wicca or Paganism. It is pure escapism for the pre-teen set. It is
fun. The books are easy to read and understand. There are occasional
challenges for the reader to solve, but nothing too hard.